DHAKA , Bangladesh -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 1,700 people have died in Bangladesh after a devastating tropical cyclone ripped through the western coast of the country , and the toll is expected to rise , a government spokesman tells CNN .

Families stand amid the wreckage caused by the cyclone Friday in southern Bangladesh .

Brig. Gen. Qazi Abedus Samad , director of operations for the country 's armed forces , told CNN Saturday the toll had reached 1,723 , and the figure is expected to rise .

As flood waters recede , aid workers say they expect to find scores more bodies when remote villages are finally reached and the counting is done .

They face debris-blocked roads , no electricity and almost nonexistent communications .

In addition to the dead , another 15,000 people have been injured . Thousands of people have been displaced and many are still missing .

Cyclone Sidr , with sustained winds of at least 131 mph -LRB- 210 kph -RRB- , made landfall Thursday night along the western coast of Bangladesh near the border with India , unleashing floodwaters .

Government spokesman Fahim Munaim told CNN by telephone that the government held an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday to assess the disaster and discuss recovery issues .

He said the extent of the cyclone 's damage may be much worse because emergency relief had not been able to reach remote areas .

The government has identified the 12 worst districts -- all of them located on the southern coast -- out of the 23 affected by the cyclone , Munaim said . See victims pick up the pieces after the storm ''

The Bangladeshi air force , army and navy are working to provide shelter for the many people who have been displaced . Power is still out in much of the country but it is being restored . Watch how the cyclone spawns a large relief effort ''

Vince Edwards , national director of the relief agency World Vision in Bangladesh , said the high wind speeds of Cyclone Sidr have laid waste to the all-important rice crop and caused a huge loss of livestock .

He said 280,000 families have been rendered homeless by the cyclone , but many have been able to get shelter from family members .

World Vision is deploying 135 staffers and 7,000 volunteers to provide food , shelter and other relief . The group is appealing for $ 1.5 million in further funds to assist some 9.300 families rebuild their homes .

In Dhaka -- about 200 miles north of the worst-hit region -- there were power outages , massive traffic jams and spotty phone service , CNN 's Cal Perry said from the city .

`` From an infrastructure perspective , the country absolutely has been brought to its knees , '' he said .

Red Crescent spokeswoman Nabiha Chowdhury told CNN that communication with her agency 's teams who have arrived in the stricken area is spotty , but they have resources with them to immediately help people with water purification , which she said was a top priority .

Those teams have cash with them to buy relief supplies from local wholesalers , said Chowdhury , who said the latest number of people injured was 15,000 with 1,000 missing . Chowdhury said about 600,000 people had fled , adding that about 2 million people lived along the coast .

The U.N. World Food Programme said it has enough high-energy biscuits to feed 400,000 people for several days .

Another humanitarian group , Save The Children , appealed for aid from the public .

`` Many families have lost everything , including their homes and their crops , and they are struggling to survive , '' said Kelly Stevenson , Save the Children 's Bangladesh director .

`` We are appealing to the U.S. public to support our efforts to assist children and families affected by this disaster . We remain very concerned about possible outbreaks of cholera and severe diarrhea due to the lack of access to clean water , '' he said in a written statement .

The U.S. Department of State pledged Friday pledging `` to work with the government and foreign donors to assist in relieving the effects of the disaster . ''

Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. Mission in Bangladesh , anticipating the storm , pre-positioned 16 Zodiac boats , water treatment systems , water ambulances and food for a more rapid response .

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was expected to approve plans to send up to three Navy amphibious warships , with up to 3,500 Marines , to locations off the coast of Bangladesh to assist in relief efforts . E-mail to a friend

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More than 1,700 people dead , toll expected to rise , official says

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15,000 people are injured following Thursday 's tropical Cyclone Sidr

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U.N. World Food Programme has food for 400,000 people for three days

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Power outages , massive traffic jams and poor phone service in Dhaka